Martin Luther and the 95 Theses
When Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, he probably had no idea about the influence that this would have on Christianity.
Luther became disgruntled with the Catholic Church and many of their teachings, particularly those saying that to be able to be saved one needed to purchase indulgences for themselves and their loved ones and that both faith and works were needed to enter the kingdom of God (Luther believed only faith was needed). Theories promote the idea that Luther posted his 95 Theses not in an act of total defiance, but rather to set up debates and discussions he was planning to have later on. Nonetheless, the ideas he presented caught fire and spread throughout the world. Luther's ideas paved the way for Protestantism, and many Christian denominations began to sprout from the broken roots of the Catholic Church.
Religion Today
I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in North Carolina, which is one of the states in an area known as the "Bible Belt." When my plane touched down in Charlotte, I was immediately surprised at the number of churches standing throughout the city. It seemed to me that there were more churches than there were office buildings and homes combined! What especially struck me was peoples' viewpoints on religion. I met several people who had moved in from another city and were in search of a new church. Although the individual may have been a Presbyterian in their old city, they were completely willing to switch to another denomination, such as: Baptist, Methodist, Latter-day Saint, Episcopalian, Moravian, etc. They would go from church to church until they found a pastor they liked. The pastor (not the religion) mattered because different teachings were presented even within those churches claiming to be from the same denomination. The fluidity of Christian denominations today stands in stark contrast to religion before Luther's time.
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I think another key difference influence is the political context since the Reformation. Without freedom of religion, countries converted, rather than individuals, and when people tried to convert against the will of their government, civil war resulted. Not only can we now move fluidly between Baptist and Methodist, but even Baptist to Buddhist as well.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many of you have read Mere Christianity (or the Screwtape Letters for that matter) but C.S. Lewis actually discusses this idea of going from church to church. He stressed the importance of not judging a church by the people or pastor, but by the doctrine. It seems easy to be caught up by the "cosmetics" and social aspects without diving too deeply into what a denomination actually believes
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